The subject line of an email is one of the most crucial parts of the email, as it is the first thing readers see. The purpose of the email subject line is to capture the readers’ interest and persuade them to open the email. The subject line should be short, concise, and relevant. If your customer, partner, or colleague doesn’t find the subject line important, they may not open the email. It could get lost among other emails or be pushed down the priority list. So, it’s crucial to craft the subject line in a attention-grabbing and personalized way.

What to include in the subject line?

Keep it short: The subject line should be less than 50 characters for easy readability. Prioritize words: Place the most important word at the beginning. The words don’t need to form a complete sentence; listing the most relevant keywords is sufficient. Use specific keywords that accurately describe the email content. This helps recipients understand the email’s topic and whether they should open it. Avoid using “spam” words: Words like “free,” “winner,” and “urgent” may trigger spam filters, so it’s best to avoid them in the subject line. Personalize: Address the recipient by name or provide other information that makes the email more personal. This can encourage recipients to open the email. Use numbers: Research shows that using numbers in the email subject line can increase open rates by up to 75%. Numbers tend to stand out among other emails and signal to the reader that the email contains valuable information.

Simple email subject lines:

This is the most common type of email subject line. It’s direct, to the point, and usually informs the recipient about the email content.

For example: “Your order has arrived!” “Your order is on its way.” “We have some new products for you.” “Invitation to join our VIP group.”

When urgency is required:

If your goal is to prompt recipients to respond as soon as possible, an urgent subject line can help. The sense of urgency encourages recipients to open the email immediately.

“Hurry! The promotion ends tonight!” “Only 2 hours left!” “Your credit card is expiring soon.” “Your subscription is expiring soon.”

Professional subject lines used in corporate communication:

XYZ Project: Status update and next steps. Customer ABC: Invoice payment for services rendered. XYZ Situation: Please provide a status update. Task update: Submission of the application is complete. Opportunity ABC: Submit your proposal. Urgent: XYZ customer needs assistance with order 123. Customer meeting: Is the agenda ready?

Summary:

Business emails need clear subject lines for readers to understand the message’s topic and purpose. To achieve this, you need to make the message’s topic and goal clear. The good news is that you don’t need to use many words to create a clear subject line. In fact, the fewer words you use, the better. I hope the professional email subject line examples in this article have helped and inspired you to create your own great email subject lines.